GSA's new electronic travel system to improve on predecessor

The General Services Administration awarded a 15-year, $1.4 billion contract to launch the next generation of the government’s web-based travel management service to Concur Technologies, the agency announced June 4.

GSA’s E-gov Travel Service (ETS) is a cloud-based service that more than 90 agencies use for travel booking and expense management. It’s the backbone of GSA’s governmentwide managed travel programs. Federal employees can easily book travel and track spending, approvals and vouchers through it.

The current version of ETS was launched in April 2002, and officials estimate that it saves the government more than $20 million dollars annually. With this first generation, civilian agencies consolidated more than 250 disconnected and independently managed travel systems. GSA’s implementation of ETS also increased the government’s use of online travel services by 63 percent.

The next generation ETS2 will build upon the original service. It will help agencies consolidate online travel booking services and expense management platforms to increase efficiency and accountability while saving money. ETS2 will allow GSA to leverage government purchasing power through in depth analysis of governmentwide travel data.

Under the terms of the contract, Concur Technologies will be able to report on travel planning and reservations, authorizations, ticketing fulfillment, and expense reimbursement.

Agencies will begin deploying ETS2 in late 2012.

“GSA has saved federal agencies millions of dollars annually by negotiating lower fares and reducing administrative costs. When you combine GSA’s market expertise with best practices from the private sector, ETS2 is positioned to transform travel savings and management across the government,” GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Steve Kempf said in a statement.

About the Author

Matthew Weigelt is a freelance journalist who writes about acquisition and procurement.